116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Mercy opens new 'green' medical office
Mercy Medical Center's latest campus addition could become the first “green”-certified medical office building in Cedar Rapids.
Known as the 8th & 8th Medical Office, the four-story building at 788 Eighth Ave. SE, was built to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards.
Mercy's goal is to have the building LEED certified.
Buff-colored Kasota limestone from Minnesota and red brick were quarried or manufactured within a 500-mile radius, so less energy is expended in shipping the materials.
Aluminum sunshades built on the exterior allow light to penetrate when the sun is low in the winter and shield interior space from sun in the summer.
Architect Brad Lang of Solum Lang Architects in Cedar Rapids, which designed the structure, called the building's many windows an important sustainable feature.
“They allow natural daylight in so less artificial light has to be used,” he said.
Other initiatives are aimed at water and energy conservation and promoting indoor air quality.
Mercy, just across the street from the new structure, will have a grand opening Wednesday for the building.
Two tenants already have opened on the first floor: Innovative Aesthetics and Cedar Rapids OB Gyn Specialists, P.C.
Built by Ryan Companies of Cedar Rapids, the $12 million, 72,000-square-foot building - at the site of the former MercyCare Main Family Practice - also includes leased space for doctors and office and conference space for Mercy.
Lang said work had been scheduled to begin in June 2008, right at the time of the flood.
Construction was delayed by just two weeks after floodwaters reached the site.
In February, Mercy imploded one of its buildings just a stone's throw away from the new office because of flood damage.
Jason Willis, Mercy's assistant facilities director, said a skywalk will eventually connect the hospital to the new medical office.
What: Grand opening for Mercy Medical Center's 8th & 8th Medical Office buildingWhen: 4:30 to 6 p.m., Wednesday. Ribbon-cutting at 4:30 p.m.Where: 788 Eighth Ave. SEWho: The public is invited to attend.
When: 4:30 to 6 p.m., Wednesday. Ribbon-cutting at 4:30 p.m.
Where: 788 Eighth Ave. SE
Who: The public is invited to attend.
Cedar Rapids OB Gyn Specialists are one of the tenants of the new 8th & 8th Medical Office adjacent to Mercy Medical Center. The four-story, 72,000-square-foot facility includes medical office space for physicians, offices and conference space for Mercy. It is the first medical building in Cedar Rapids built with LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) principles, and is in the process of becoming LEED certified. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)
Aluminum shades above windows on the new 8th & 8th Medical Office allow light to penetrate when the sun is low in the winter and shield the building from the sun in the summer. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)
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